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Two years ago George Lakoff published the bestselling Don’t Think of an Elephant! Its account of the conservative monopoly on effective framing touched off a national discussion about political language. It also gave rise to a chorus of pleas for more:
* What is the progressive vision of America; * Why progressive values are America’s values; * How frames are necessary to serve the truth; * Why sloganeering alone doesn’t work; * How progressives trap themselves and how they can escape those traps; and * How political arguments and narratives can be put together to counter the Right. Thinking Points satisfies that call with a bold, concise, and systematic explanation of how conservatives think and use language—and how progressives can fight back . Lakoff and the Rockridge Institute offer a new understanding of the so-called political center and explain why the most effective way to appeal to those who identify themselves as moderates or conservatives is to remain true to progressive values.
This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to participate in shaping an America that serves the common good. George Lakoff is a professor of linguistics and cognitive science at the University of California, Berkeley, and a founder of the Rockridge Institute. He is the author of Whose Freedom?, Don't Think of an Elephant!, and Moral Politics, as well as seminal books in linguistics, including Metaphors We Live By (with Mark Johnson). The Rockridge Institute is a team of scholars and researchers committed to American progressive ideals. It provides intellectual support to the progressive community, partnering with advocates, activists, and policy professionals to articulate the system of American values and ideas and reframe public debate. For more information about the Rockridge Institute, visit www.rockridgeinstitute.org. Thinking Points provides a systematic explanation of how conservatives think and use language—and how progressives can create a long-term strategy for returning America to its progressive ideals. With the assistance of the Rockridge Institute, Lakoff offers a new understanding of the so-called political center and explains why the most effective way to appeal to those who identify themselves as moderates or conservatives is to remain true to core progressive values. “Professor Lakoff’s expertise has been invaluable in articulating the ACLU’s core values-fundamentally American values-to a broad and politically-diverse audience.”—Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director, ACLU "George Lakoff serves progressives well by explaining how language and moral framing equals power in politics. Thinking Points helps leaders and activists alike to turn this knowledge into a compelling vision for society."—John Podesta, CEO and President, Center for American Progress "George Lakoff serves progressives well by explaining how language and moral framing equals power in politics. Thinking Points helps leaders and activists alike to turn this knowledge into a compelling vision for society."—John Podesta, CEO and President, Center for American Progress
"In Thinking Points, George Lakoff and the Rockridge Institute show how Progressives can stop appealing to some hypothetical "middle" and instead appeal to the deep morality that the vast majority of Americans share. When we speak from our hearts, the integrity of this will speak broadly."—Joan Blades, MoveOn
"In Thinking Points, the good professor and the Rockridge Institute team have connected a broad progressive policy vision to fundamental American values. It's time for progressives to get off defense and go on offense. By laying the foundations of progressive policy in the traditional American values of freedom, responsibility, and care for others, George Lakoff and Rockridge have shown us how. This is the must-read progressive message handbook."—Wes Boyd, MoveOn
"In an environment too often dominated by sound-bite arguments and political polarization, Thinking Points is more than a communications tool; it is a must-read for progressives as well as non-partisan activist organizations like the ACLU that want to trumpet their values not only loudly, but effectively. Professor Lakoff's expertise has been invaluable in articulating the ACLU's core values-fundamentally American values-to a broad and politically-diverse audience."—Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union
"This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to speak out effectively about progressive, American values."—Eli Pariser, Executive Director, MoveOn.org Political Action "Lakoff argues that progressives do not know how to communicate with ordinary Americans, while conservatives use evocative language and stories that attract voters. Here he teaches progressives how to reconnect with their fellow citizens. He insists that progressives must enunciate what they believe, explain how their values underlie their politics, and thus re-engage Americans in a shared vision. In short, to regain power, progressives must reframe the political discourse and, by accepting the conservative terms of debate, respond by attacking 'tax cuts' or the 'war on terror' rather than by talking about the need for healthcare or ending the war in Iraq. Part of this reframing consists in substituting progressive politics of empathy and responsibility for the conservative worldview built on authority and control. A philosophical look at American political dialog, this book also shows activists how to discuss progressive issues in positive terms rather than using the negative vocabulary of conservatives. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries."—Kirkus Reviews ...
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Two leading thinkers offer a blueprint for a new philosophy. "Their ambition is massive, their argument important.…The authors engage in a sort of metaphorical genome project, attempting to delineate the genetic code of human thought." -The New York Times Book Review "This book will be an instant academic best-seller." -Mark Turner, University of Maryland This is philosophy as it has never been seen before. Lakoff and Johnson show that a philosophy responsible to the science of the mind offers a radically new and detailed understandings of what a person is. After first describing the philosophical stance that must follow from taking cognitive science seriously, they re-examine the basic concepts of the mind, time, causation, morality, and the self; then they rethink a host of philosophical traditions, from the classical Greeks through Kantian morality through modern analytical philosophy....
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A groundbreaking scientific examination of the way our brains understand politics from a New York Times bestselling author
One of the world 's best-known linguists and cognitive scientists, George Lakoff has a knack for making science make sense for general readers. In his new book, Lakoff spells out what cognitive science has discovered about reason, and reveals that human reason is far more interesting than we thought it was. Reason is physical, mostly unconscious, metaphorical, emotion-laden, and tied to empathy-and there are biological explanations behind our moral and political thought processes. His call for a New Enlightenment is a bold and striking challenge to the cherished beliefs not only of philosophers, but of pundits, pollsters, and political leaders. The Political Mind is a passionate, erudite, and groundbreaking book that will appeal to anyone interested in how the mind works and how we function socially and politically....
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